


Platform 9¾

by annabelledeery



Series: Harry Potter One-Shots: The Hogwarts Years [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Molly Weasley, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Canon Compliant, Gen, Hogwarts Express, Hogwarts First Year, Inspired By Tumblr, Kings Cross, POV Molly Weasley, POV Third Person Limited, Platform 9 3/4, Young Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-03-29 15:45:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19022968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annabelledeery/pseuds/annabelledeery
Summary: Molly Weasley is escorting her children through Kings Cross station, and when she discovers a lost child she leaps into action.





	Platform 9¾

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of a series I'm starting, where I will post multiple one-shots of the lives of Harry Potter characters. They will be canon-compliant, with possibly some changes.  
> This one-shot is inspired by a tumblr textpost, so I would like to give some inspiration credit to scaredpotter and marauders4evr on tumblr.  
> Parts of the dialogue are copied directly from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, so credit to J.K. Rowling as well! I tried to change a bit of the dialogue to make it more interesting.  
> Enjoy reading!

**╔══════════════╗**

**_Platform 9¾_ **

**╚══════════════╝**

 

It was ten minutes until 11am, and Molly Weasley was bustling her children into Kings Cross station. Ginny had insisted on bringing her stuffed Niffler, which she spent five tearful minutes searching for, and Ron took another five minutes to find the sock for his right foot, which meant the Weasley's were running later than usual. Molly checked for five heads of red hair before she pushed them further into the throng of muggles.

"Ron, have you got Scabbers?"

"Yes, mum."

"And your wand?"

" _Yes,_ mum, I've got everything."

"Alright, alright. Ginny, stay close, dear."

Despite their stressful morning, it seemed that they would make it to the train on time. Molly had just reached platforms nine and ten when she spotted a young boy walking away from a cross-looking guard. He had a mess of black hair that stuck up in several places, and he wore broken circular glasses. He was clearly underfed; he was extremely skinny and his ribs poked through his baggy shirt. He seemed lost, as he looked around the station with a trembling jaw.

This poor child. Where were his parents? Why was he all be himself in this crowded train station?

Molly instantly decided that she had to help him. The cart in front of him held a trunk and a bird cage occupied by a snowy owl, so she could assume that he was a young wizard. How was she going to go about this? She couldn't just walk up to him and offer assistance -- that would surely startle him, and he would flee. She needed to take a different approach.

Molly ushered her children forward past the boy. "What's the platform number again?" she announced, trying to be loud enough to be heard.

"Nine and three quarters," Percy replied. "How could you forget?"

The boy didn't notice -- he continued to glance about anxiously.

Molly backed up a few steps and pushed forward again with more strength. "What's the platform number?"

"Nine and three quarters!" Fred answered this time, with a baffled look at his mother. "Wh--"

George nudged him, realizing what Molly was trying to do. Fred seemed to catch on and went silent. Once again, it didn't work, and the boy remained lost.

Molly practically flung herself past the boy this time. "Packed with Muggles, of course!"

"Mum, slow down!" Ron panted, tripping over his large feet to keep up with her pace.

"What's the platform number?"

"Platform nine and three quarters!" Ron shouted.

If Molly had to do this fifty more times, she didn't care --  _this boy was getting onto the bloody train._ Filled with a fiery determination unlike she'd ever felt before, she marched past the boy and said, "Packed with Muggles, of course!"

The boy looked up. A surge of thrill soared through her, but she kept her cool while he was paying attention. She told the kids to stop in front of the barrier, and the boy stopped a short distance behind them as well. 

"Now, what's the platform number?"

"Nine and three quarters!" Ginny piped up.

At last! The boy was listening closely to their conversation now. Now, she just needed him to see the kids get onto the platform.

"Percy, you go first."

Percy strode into the brick barrier and promptly vanished. The boy seemed to have seen it, but did not move. She had Fred and George go through the barrier too, and that was what prompted the boy to approach them.

"Excuse me?" the boy walked over.

"Hello, dear," Molly smiled warmly down at him. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."

"Yes," the boy answered. "The thing is -- the thing is, I don't know how to --"

"How to get onto the platform?" she asked kindly, and he nodded. "Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop out of fear you'll crash -- best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, you can go before Ron."

Molly watched as the boy pushed his trolley and started walking at the barrier; at first he walked cautiously towards it, but his trot quickly became a sprint and he disappeared when he met the barrier. Molly hurried Ron and Ginny through as well, following close behind them, and arrived in platform nine and three quarters. As always, it was filled with students and their families; clouds of smoke from the Hogwarts Express drifted over the heads of chattering wizards and witches.

Once Molly had pushed her pack of ginger children further into the crowded platform, she saw the young boy again. He was struggling to lift a trunk that was nearly the same size as him into a compartment.

"George, dear, go help him with his trunk," Molly gestured towards the end of the train.

George walked over to the boy, and soon after Fred joined his twin to assist. After waiting about a minute, she called for the twins and they returned, and Molly turned her eyes back to her two youngest children. Ron had a huge patch of grey dirt on his nose. She tried to wipe it off with a handkerchief, but Ron wriggled free before she could get all of it. Fred teased Ron about it, and the pair of them began to squabble, but then Molly realized that Percy was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Percy?"

"He's coming now," Fred told her.

Percy marched over to them, bearing his prefect badge on the front of his robes confidently.

"Can't stay long, Mother," Percy said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves--"

Fred and George began to tease Percy as well, and the three of them bickered a bit before Molly bid Percy goodbye and he left. Molly rounded on the twins, telling them to behave at school and look after Ron -- of course, they didn't take it seriously and joked about everything that came out of her mouth.

"Hey, mum, guess what?" George said eagerly, deciding he had enough of poking fun at Ron. "Guess who we just met on the train? You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"

"Who?"

"Harry Potter!" Fred exclaimed.

Ginny squeezed Molly's hand and bounced up and down, excited. "Oh, mum, can I go on the train and see him, oh please--"

"You've already seen him, Ginny! The poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"

"We asked him and saw his scar! It's really there -- like lightning."

"Poor  _dear,_ " Molly sighed. "No wonder he was alone. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."

"Never mind that -- do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"

Molly frowned, sternly glaring at her son.

"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. Don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day of school!"

"Alright, keep your hair on."

Molly looked away from Fred and towards the end compartment window. She saw Harry watching them, but his head quickly dropped out of sight. The whistle of the train sounded, and she ushered the twins onto the train, stopping Ron before he joined them. She lowered her head close to Ron's, handing him a wrapped sandwich.

"Tell him everywhere else is full," she told him in a whisper, so that Harry wouldn't hear her.

Ron nodded, climbing onto the train with his brothers. Molly waved at her boys as the train began to leave the station; Ginny, both laughing and sobbing, chased after the train, flailing her hands wildly. Once the train was out of sight, Ginny returned to her mother and held her hand as they walked back to the barrier.

Molly smiled to herself, feeling quite chuffed with her accomplishments that morning.

And there was still so much more to do.


End file.
